Understanding the Mind Diet

People nowadays are starting to see the importance of bringing their weight down to the appropriate number. When you are not carrying a lot of weight on your body, not only will you feel lighter, but you’ll also feel confident in yourself. The best part though is reducing your risk from various health issues such as high blood pressure, heart problems, Alzheimer’s and the like. One particular diet that is quite popular nowadays is the MIND Diet. What is it anyway?

What is the MIND Diet?

The MIND Diet is basically a hybrid of the popular Mediterranean Diet and DASH or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. According to a study that was conducted by Rush University Medical Center, following the MIND Diet can reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s by 53%! What’s more, the U.S News & World Report just named this diet as one of the easiest that you can follow, and that when people stick with it for long periods of time, the more benefits they get to reap.

However, it’s true that we are quite familiar with the DASH Diet and the Mediterranean Diet, but what about this mashup called MIND Diet?

The MIND Diet is also referred to as the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay diet which is designed to focus on certain types of food that are allowed in the two diets. This ensures that you are getting the necessary nutrients that are vital not only for your physical health but mental health as well.

What Does the MIND Diet Consists Of?

Now that you have an idea on what this diet is all about, you’re probably thinking what foods are involved in this diet. Here are a few options to consider.

Salad and another vegetable per day

If you are planning on following this diet, adding salad and another vegetable to your meals per day is one way of ensuring that your body is absorbing essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that are needed. Vegetables can help improve your energy levels because they will help keep your blood sugar stable.

Have some fish

Another type of food that you should include in your list of foods that are allowed in this diet is fish. Of course, you should stick with wild caught fish since there are less chemicals present in them like mercury. Tuna, salmon, and sardines are just a few recommendations because they are packed with omega-3 fatty acids that are useful in flushing the toxins from your body, while improving your heart health. Have some fish at least once a week to get important nutrients such as zinc and omega-3 fatty acids.

Eat nuts for snacks

What other foods can you eat in a MIND Diet? Well, nuts are good for you because of the heart healthy nutrients that they come with. Almonds are one of the best types of nuts to eat because they are packed with heart-healthy nutrients. What’s more, eating a handful of it can settle in your stomach nicely which will keep your belly full for hours. You’ll find that the number of times that you eat will be reduced because of this.

A glass of wine

In the MIND Diet, you are allowed to have a glass of wine during meal times because they contain antioxidants that are good in fighting off free radicals that are present in your body. Free radicals are the ones that cause damage to our cells that can speed up our mental deterioration when we don’t do something about it.

These are just a few food choices that are allowed in a MIND Diet that you should take note of. A few tweaks to your current diet, and adding these foods, can have a positive impact to your overall health.